Ritika Pratap 
[Source: iTaukei Land Trust Board/Facebook]
The iTaukei Land Trust Board has distributed over $520,000 in grants to empower landowners, enabling them to kickstart and expand their businesses.
This initiative, known as the Landowners Seed Fund Grant, aims to foster self-reliance and sustainable economic growth, benefiting 94 landowners and landowning units across the country.
On Monday, TLTB awarded grants to 46 landowners in the Central Eastern Region, totaling more than $258,000. They demonstrated their entrepreneurial spirit by applying for funding to support their diverse business ventures.
In the coming days, TLTB will extend its support to landowners in the North-West (Lautoka) with 22 grant recipients, the South-West (Nadi) with 20 recipients, and the Northern Region (Labasa) with six recipients.
These grants will range from $5,000 and up, with an average payout of $5,531 for each recipient, facilitating a wide array of business opportunities.
Recipients have chosen projects ranging from yaqona farming, livestock husbandry, dairy farming, restaurants, coffee shops, fish ponds, eco-tourism, piggeries, and dalo farming.
Minister for iTaukei Affairs and TLTB Chair, Ifereimi Vasu, emphasized the transformative potential of these grants.
Vasu says the government believes in the landowners’ potential and will support them in building something sustainable and meaningful.
His words underscore the government’s commitment to iTaukei development and the creation of opportunities that lead to sustainable livelihoods.
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